Manuel "Manny" Díaz

July 22, 2013

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poconorecord.com

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Posted Jul. 24, 2013 at 12:01 AM

Posted Jul. 24, 2013 at 12:01 AM

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Manuel "Manny" Díaz, who made his home in Effort, passed away July 22, 2013, after a three-year bout with cancer. Manny was born April 8, 1945, on his family's farm in the mountains of Cerro Gordo, near the town of Moca, Puerto Rico.

The youngest of his large family, Manny, at the age of 8, was brought by his parents, Benito and Felipa, to an apartment on the West Side of Manhattan, reuniting all eight children. His family was very active in St. Rose of Lima Parish, where he received the childhood sacraments and attended parochial school in the conflicted days of "West Side Story," when ethnic relations were tense for young New York Puerto Rican youths.

After his years at George Washington High School, Manny met Bethsaida "Betsy" Ortiz. They would marry at St. Jude's Catholic Church and Betsy would be the love of his life and mother of his three children. Mr. Díaz's career-defining job was in the U.S. Postal Service, where he was a mail deliverer in New York for more than two decades. Serving as "super" for a time in his apartment complex, Manny was "Mr. Fix-It" for his brothers, sisters and relatives. Whenever there was a leaking pipe, a sagging door or table to be repaired, he was called upon to fix it. But Manny did more than fix things: he also has helped many of his nephews and nieces who turned to him for advice.

Upon retirement, he bought a home in the Poconos near Effort, where he built himself a garage with a workshop for his hobby of woodcraft, making toys for his grandchildren and producing chairs and benches from original designs. The mountains reminded him of his Puerto Rican birthplace and, helped by his family, he turned over soil, creating an immense flower garden for his wife and an extensive plot for vegetables, thus coming full circle back to a farmer's life.

During his physical decline from cancer, he deflected sympathy from frequent visitors, declaring he was at peace with his approaching death. He recounted an accident that took place when he was 15 climbing a tree in a Manhattan park. He had fallen the equivalent of three stories, landing on his back. He described a near-death experience while laying on the ground, feeling that he was moving toward "a warm and peaceful light." But at that moment, he asked God to spare his life because an early death for him would cause his mother to suffer. His prayer was heard and he recovered. A few years later during the Vietnam War, he volunteered for the U.S. Army, but was turned down because he had broken his back. "That fall saved my life twice," he would say, "once when I fell and once when it kept me from dying in Vietnam. Every year of my life from then on has been a gift."

He is survived by his wife, Betsy, and three children, Manuel Díaz Jr. of New Hampshire, Anne Marie Díaz of Kunkletown, and José Díaz of Woodbridge, N.J. He leaves behind five grandchildren. He was supported in illness and is grieved in his death by his surviving brothers and sisters: Mrs. Herminia Díaz Pérez and Mr. Juan Díaz of Puerto Rico; Mrs. Alicia Díaz Salinas and Mrs. Clarita María Watson Suárez of New York; and Miss Mercedes Díaz, Mr. Miguel Angel Díaz and Dr. Ana María Díaz-Stevens of the Stroudsburgs. His eldest sister, Mrs. Dominga Díaz Ayala of Miami, preceded him in death, as did his parents, Benito Díaz and Felipa Ramírez.

Cremation will take place privately, with visitation from 2 to 5 p.m. Saturday, July 27, at William H. Clark Funeral Home, 1003 Main St., Stroudsburg. A memorial service led by Father Thomas McLaughlin of St. Luke's Church will take place at 3 p.m. Saturday at the funeral home.